Normally I post my Top Ten Things during this time. Today I am so pleased to have a guest “Top Tenster.” Charles has put together a laugh out loud list for you today. Charles is a gifted author, and his Amazon Author page will give more detail on his books. If you are unfamiliar with Charles Yallowitz and his fantasy series Legends of Windemere (I think maybe you have been in solitary confinement for the last three years), then I hope you will have the incentive to check out his first book. After all, the price is right and here is the cover.
So Charles, welcome, and the post is yours.
Thank you to John for letting me attempt a Top 10 list. Recently, I made the first book of my series, Legends of Windemere: Beginning of a Hero, permanently free. A tough choice to make after it being…
Things are coming along well with the new book, Frankly, My Dear. I’ve received positive comments from the beta readers and the advance readers in a couple of weeks. It’s up for pre-order on Amazon and will be released on April 29th.
If you’d like to pick up an advance copy, you can do so by clicking on the book cover below:
Here is a synopsis:
Frank Rozzani, a transplant to Jacksonville, Florida from Syracuse, New York, has left his tragic past as a police officer behind for life as a private detective. Frank and his partner Clifford “Jonesy” Jones work with the local police to solve crimes that are virtually unsolvable.
In Frankly My Dear, the fourth in the Frank Rozzani Detective Series of novels, Frank and Jonesy are at it again and this time the case is one of the most bizarre that they have faced. Their latest…
The title says it all. My son has off all of next week for Spring Break, which we’ll celebrate the traditional way. That would be me trying to get a little work done between outings and play times. Drinking may still be involved near the end of the week. Might even be alcohol once night falls. Seems the wife has appointments for 4 of the 5 days too, which means I’ll be solo parenting for chunks of those days.
Today is part of Passover, so we have family over. That means I won’t be around much because I have to be social. Not really interact with people, but be visible. So no toiling away in the room and trying to make up for lost time. The weather is supposed to be good, so the kids can play outside until dinner. Since it’s Passover, we have the usual ceremony before the food. For those that don’t know, this holiday is 8 days of no bread, pasta, crackers, or anything that ‘rises’. Perfect for those on a low carb diet. Not fun for someone who loves pizza and just started a diet that leaves him really hungry by the evening. You ever eat matzah? Here’s a picture and fact:
I liked it when I was a kid, but I wasn’t always the brightest. That and I added peanut butter to everything. Can’t really do that with a peanut allergic kid that I have to take care of. The wife might be busy for most of next week, which means I’ll be soloing his spring break for at least the first 3 days. This will make the 10-12 miles of biking every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday rather difficult. People wonder why my attempts to maintain a constant workout schedule keeps failing? Well here you go. Kid gets a lot of breaks and I’m routinely left as the lone parent. Can’t bike with him around because he tries to climb on or keeps calling for me. It isn’t exercise if I have to hop off every 2 minutes to respond to something. You getting the idea that I’m not looking forward to the future?
Well there is some good news. No, I don’t know when Tribe of the Snow Tiger will be released. I’m hoping for May and we know how that goes. I really need a new Windemere book to come out or things are going to get a lot worse. Instead, a revamped cover for Crossing Bedlam will be coming soon along with a price drop. I don’t know how long I will keep the 99 cent price for, but I’m hoping it helps. The book will be the same, so it’ll only be the outer coating that changes. The scene will remain mostly the same. Going to test it here before changing everything up on May 1st. The hardest part is going to be contacting the promo sites to see if I can switch cover art.
Speaking of Bedlam, I didn’t get around to finishing all of the characters for the sequel. I lost time to various errands and chores. Needed to rethink one chapter because Cassidy and Lloyd jumped from one warlord to another. The second to last stop needs to be thought out too. I was thinking of doing a teaser next Tuesday of the potential opening for the book, so we’ll see if that happens. Probably won’t be edited or detailed. Just getting the opener out of my head to see if people like the idea.
Finally, did you hear that Beginning of a Herois now free? Well it is and you should grab a copy if you haven’t already. (Edit: Though I’m starting to see evidence that it can only be free on the US Amazon site and not the foreign ones. Looking into that, but not finding much to prove otherwise.)
Goals of the week:
Use the nights to finish the Chasing Bedlam characters.
Try to keep up with the biking.
Visit F.Y.E. before it closes for good.
Pre-Order ‘Deadpool’.
Buy more pants.
Take son to park, zoo, and wherever else we decide to go.
Try my best to remain kosher for Passover.
Figure out a way to promote the free book on no budget.
Add a random poll at the bottom for no reason:
“Poll has been removed because it listed ‘Other’ as an option and I couldn’t get it removed.”
I recently realized that I haven’t paid it forward in a while now. I will do so with a series of posts running throughout April, dedicated to some of the wonderful people I’ve met along…
So I’ve been doing guest posts to help promote the fact that Beginning of a Hero is now free on Amazon and Smashwords. I was reblogging them before, but that was becoming a slight mess. Instead, I’m going to list the ones that have come so far. Feel free to visit all of these great blogs.
If someone outside of the tribe calls you names then smile and offer to buy them a drink. If they insult the tribe then loom over them and give off an intimidating presence. If they insult your parents or spouse then put them through the bar. Remember to pay for damages.
Do not assume every person you meet in a bar can handle the wilder brews that barbarians enjoy. Dwarves and orcs are a safe bet, but the other races can be rather fragile. Give a polite warning and offer a bucket if they insist. Be very insistent for those who have long hair.
Weapon maintenance should be done daily. In the morning is preferable in case you need to change your schedule for repairs. One never knows when they will be called to battle or a hunt. Last thing you want is your axe to break or prove to be too dull in the middle of a fight. Partially because it can get you killed and also because the blacksmiths are always ready to give lectures.
Never awaken your rage unless absolutely necessary. That is a special gift given to barbarians and it should not be abused. The shamans are more than willing to tell Brock the Barbarian God about your shameful actions, which means you’re getting a nightmare. So use your regular intimidation and destructive responses when you feel slighted.
Do NOT laugh at casters. Seriously, it doesn’t end well. Especially those new ones calling themselves channelers. They’re the barbarians of casters.
Respect your elders, especially when they wish to teach you something. It could be about shearing sheep or taming snow tigers. Perhaps it is a discussion on their favorite book. The point is that they earned the right to be listened to and also have the right to knock sense into the younger generations. Grandparents of the tribe carry those big canes for more than walking.
Never fake your scars or try to earn them on purpose. These are supposed to marks of great feats and should never be forced. Teasing a snow tiger into attacking you is a sign of stupidity. Be patient and your scars will come. There is always a battle in a tribe’s future.
